Miniature soccer-football game toy

ABSTRACT

A miniature soccer-football game having a plurality of gameboard players each mounted for movement along a respective guide slot in the gameboard; each player being mounted on a rod extending through the slot and connected to an iron core adapted to be moved through at least one electro-magnetic coil energizable through actuation of a switch responsive to a key being depressed on a control keyboard, so as to impart corresponding movement to the player.

United States Patent 1 [1 1 3,806,119 Mosciatti Apr. 23, 1974 MINIATURESOCCER-FOOTBALL GAME 1,146,460 3/1969 Great Britain 273/85 E TOY1,467,930 12/1966 France 273/85 E [76] Inventor: Nibaldo Mosciatti,Cochrane 450,

Concepcion, Chile Primary Examiner--Anton O. Oechsle I AssistantExaminer-Harry G. Strappello [22] filed: Sept' 1972 Attorney, Agent, orFirm-Eric H. Walters [21] App]. No.: 288,165

[57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl 273/85 F, 273/129 [51] Int. Cl. A631 7/06 Aminiature soccer-football game having a plurality of [58] Field ofSearch..... 273/85 R, 85 E, 85 F, 94 E, gameboard players each mountedfor movement along 273/94 F, 129, 119 A; 46/234, 235; 124/1, 3 arespective guide slot in the gameboard; each player being mounted on arod extending through the slot [56] References Cited and connected to aniron core adapted to be moved UNITED STATES PATENTS through at least oneelectro-magnetic coil energizable 2,035,271 3/1936 MacDougall 273/129 uxthrough actuation of a switch responsive to a key 3,099,446 7/1963Stegman et al. 273/49 being depressed a keyboard as to impartcorresponding movement to the player. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS464,559 4/1937 Great Britain 273/94 F 5 Claims, 7 Drawing FiguresPATENTEDAPR 2 3 I974 SHEET 2 OF 3 4mm (t PATENTEDAPR23 I914 $806119SHEET 3 OF 3 MINIATURE SOCCER-FOOTBALL GAME TOY FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to toys and, more particularly,to a novel toy for playing miniature soccer-football.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART At present, there are known in the art toysfor playing miniature soccer-football. One such toy consists of agameboard positioned on a table of relatively small size on which asimulated football field is provided and on which players operate, withthe players being formed of figures fixed onto pivotable bars whichextend through the surface of the field. A ball, consisting of a sphereof semi-rigid material such as fiber or the like, is impelled uponcontact by the pivotal motion and longitudinal displacement of the bars.The bars are manipulated by the persons or operators playing; one personbeing positioned at each side of the miniature soccer field, so as tooperate their respective teams, by manipulating the bars which areprovided in a number commensurate to define complete teams consisting ofa front row of forwards, a middle row of half-backs, a rear row offull-backs, and of a goal-keeper.

The prior art method of operating the game is physically exhausting,since not only mental ability is required for manipulating the playersin accordance with the movement of the ball, but also extensive physicalcapacity is needed for rapidly manipulating the bars, which in turn areadapted to drive one or more of the players fastened thereto.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is tosimplify the operation of the toy by requiring the operation of simpleelements only for moving the players on the gameboard field, thereforeemploying primarily the mental abilities of the operators since themovement of the players is effected by merely applying finger pressureto a specially equipped keyboard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference may now be had to thedetailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a top plan view of a gameboard illustrating the miniaturesoccer-football toy according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an electrical circuit for one of the keyboard elements foroperating the toy;

FIG. 3 is a partly schematic view of the mechanical components adaptedto be actuated by the electrical circuit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially schematic illustration of a complete electricaland mechanical system for operating one of the players of the toy; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are a second embodiment of a mechanical and electricalsystem for operating one of the players of the toy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1illustrates in plan view slots II, II in the gameboard, which serve asguides for allowing movement of pivots III, III extending therethrough,which form the movable bases onto which are fastened the figures eachrepresenting players .I on the game soccer-football field.

Although the disposition of the set of slots is shown to be at random,care must be exercised that the distribution over the board surfaceensures the propelling of the ball so that at times the movement of oneplayer of one team contacting the ball is opposed by the movement of aplayer of the other team. At other times the actuation of a playerpositioned so as to apparently separated from the rest may provide adefensive action, as is the case of player .I'.

As shown, a keyboard utilized to command the pivots and consequently therespectively associated players includes, for each team, two centralkeys A and B, and A and B which correspond to the goal-keeper for eachteam and are adapted to provide control for moving him to the left or tothe right, and with the ten re maining keys being adapted to providecontrol which corresponds to the remaining players on the front row,middle row and defense row. Each team has a keyboard 6 and 6, which maybe located behind each of the goals or at the sides of the gameboard asshown by the dotted lines in FIG. 1.

During the game, the key corresponding to player J is pressed by anyfinger of an operator, thus effecting the movement of pivot III alongguide slot II of player .I.

The actuation of each of the players, directed from the keyboard, iseffected by means of an electric circuit as illustrated in FIG. 2. Thecircuit includes two electro-magnetic coils l and 2, each having threeterminals 1, m and n, the intermediate terminal m being provided with aswitch S for coil 1, and a switch S for coil 2. Each movable element ofthe switches is connected to the fixed elements of a further switch S,which forms the key adapted to receive the operators finger pressure foractuation of the gameboard player associated with that particularcircuit.

The electric circuit shows the procedure with which the switch S coil 1or coil 2 may be activated. As shown in FIG. 3, if a movable common ironcore 3 is adapted for movement along coil 1 or along coil 2, dependingupon which of the coils is energized, and guided by a plastic tube 5.When, attached to this movable iron core, there is provided one of thepivots III, onto which is fastened one of the players, then the movementof that particular player is effected along correspondingly associatedguide II, the length of which may, for example, be approximately 4 cms.(1 inch 9/16) or any other dimension in proportion to the size of thefield being employed. The force with which the player will move isdependent upon the value of the current supplied to each coil and thisin turn depends upon the small voltage applied to terminals T and T',the voltage being obtained by means of a transformer (not shown), theprimary winding of which may be connected into any suitable industrialor residential power supply.

As shown in FIG. 4, this illustrates in schematic the mechanical designand the connections of the electrical circuit of FIGS. 2 and 3, and inelevation the disposition of coils 1 and 2 with the common iron core 3and respective pivot III. This assembly is positioned immediately belowthe board shown in FIG. 1. Similar assemblies are used for the otherplayers of the gameboard.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7,quite similar to that of FIGS. 2 to 4, however, in which the actuationof pivot Ill, and therefore of the player fastened thereto, is effectedby the combined action of a single coil 1, connected in the same way asin the circuit described in FIG. 2, but having a' switch S with a singlecontact, and a spring 7 for biasing the iron core 3 in the oppositedirection. The operation as well as the description thereof, isotherwise quite similar to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4.

While there has been shown what is considered to be the preferredembodiment of the inventiion, it will be obvious that modifications maybe made which come within the scope of the disclosure of thespecification.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for playing toy miniature soccerfootball on a gameboardfield having a plurality of guide slots formed therein and distributedabout said field in predetermined relationship; rod means extendingthrough each of said guide slots; figure means representative of playerbeing mounted on each of said rod means and extending above said field;and means for imparting movement to each of said rod means along anassociated guide slot, said last-mentioned means including a pair ofkeyboards; finger pressure-actuatable keys being mounted on saidkeyboards; and an electrical circuit interconnecting each said rod meansand respectively one of said keys, said electrical circuit including atleast one coil forming an electro-magnet and actuating switch meansresponsive to pressure on said key; an iron core positioned below eachsaid guide slot and extending through said coil, each said iron corebeing fastened to a respectively one of said playersupporting rod means,said iron core being movable along said coil in response to actuation ofsaid switch means closing said electrical circuit; a pair of said coils,said iron core being adapted for movement through said coils in responseto actuation of said switch means.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said iron core being normallybiased toward one of said coils so as to position said rod means at oneend of said guide slot, actuation of said switch means in response tofinger pressure on said key imparting movement to said rod means towardthe other end of said guide slot, and release of said finger pressurefrom said key deactivating said switch means for effecting return ofsaid rod means to the first-mentioned end of said guide slot.

3. An apparatus as claimed'in claim 1, comprising resilient spring meansconnected to said iron core, said spring means normally biasing said rodmeans toward a first end of said guide slot.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, said iron core being movable inopposition to the biasing force of said spring means in response toactuation of said switch means upon finger pressure being applied tosaid key so as to move said rod means toward the other end of said guideslot.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said electrical circuit being alow voltage circuit adapted to be connected to an electrical powersupply through a stepdown transformer.

1. An apparatus for playing toy miniature soccer-football on a gameboardfield having a plurality of guide slots formed therein and distributedabout said field in predetermined relationship; rod means extendingthrough each of said guide slots; figure means representative of playerbeing mounted on each of said rod means and extending above said field;and means for imparting movement to each of said rod means along anassociated guide slot, said last-mentioned means including a pair ofkeyboards; finger pressure-actuatable keys being mounted on saidkeyboards; and an electrical circuit interconnecting each said rod meansand respectively one of said keys, said electrical circuit including atleast one coil forming an electro-magnet and actuating switch meansresponsive to pressure on said key; an iron core positioned below eachsaid guide slot and extending through said coil, each said iron corebeing fastened to a respectively one of said player-supporting rodmeans, said iron core being movable along said coil in response toactuation of said switch means closing said electrical circuit; a pairof said coils, said iron core being adapted for movement through saidcoils in response to actuation of said switch means.
 2. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, said iron core being normally biased toward one ofsaid coils so as to position said rod means at one end of said guideslot, actuation of said switch means in response to finger pressure onsaid key imparting movement to said rod means toward the other end ofsaid guide slot, and release of said finger pressure from said keydeactivating said switch means for effecting return of said rod means tothe first-mentioned end of said guide slot.
 3. An apparatus as claimedin claim 1, comprising resilient spring means connected to said ironcore, said spring means normally biasing said rod means toward a firstend of said guide slot.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, said ironcore being movable in opposition to the biasing force of said springmeans in response to actuation of said switch means upon finger pressurebeing applied to said key so as to move said rod means toward the otherend of said guide slot.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, saidelectrical circuit being a low voltage circuit adapted to be connectedto an electrical power supply through a step-down transformer.